29 August, 2025: India is celebrating National Sports Day 2025 today, August 29, a day not only honoring the great hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand but also which prompts us to remember the role played by physical activity in health and well-being. Although away from the celebration of sporting triumphs, the day prompts us to remember the role of physical dexterity in keeping at bay a range of diseases.
Taking regular exercise and sports improves physical and mental health. In people with autism, both children and adults, organized activities improve social interaction, coordination, and communication. In elderly individuals, exercise through yoga, walking, or swimming strengthens memory, improves blood supply to the brain, and reduces the risk of dementia.
Agility-style activities like jogging, running, or cycling also toughen up the heart, lower cholesterol levels, normalize blood pressure, and improve circulation. Regularly, activity keeps kidneys and livers functioning through higher metabolism, control over fat build-up, and normalizing blood sugar, thereby lowering the risk of conditions like fatty liver disease or kidney failure.
In this age of sedentary life, agility exercises such as football, badminton, and yoga are all armor against obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. These sports, aside from maintaining a healthy weight, also develop stamina, immunity, and protection against infection and diseases.
This year's National Sports Day is commemorated under the slogan: "Sport to Promote Peaceful Societies and Inclusive Communities." Aligned to the Fit India Mission, this campaign invites everyone to reserve at least one hour of daily engagement in physical activity, promoting personal wellness as well as overall well-being.
Today, embracing agility in our daily lives is the greatest tribute to the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand. Activity is not just about sports talent, but about nurturing the overall well-being of body, mind, and society.